text size

Driving Under The Influence Of Drugs A Growing Trend

Updated: Wednesday, December 5 2012, 07:44 AM CST
A new study out of California found that twice as many people drive under the influence of drugs compared to alcohol.

When talking to Austin Police, we found it appears to be a growing trend in Central Texas as well.

According to AAA, two-thirds of people age 65 and older take five or more daily medications that can affect your driving ability.

That’s why they developed a tool called Roadwise Rx for your understanding of how medications may affect you and your driving. 

It’s not just the elderly. A national survey in 2010 showed 10.6 million people admitted to driving under the influence of drugs in the past year.

We asked folks what they thought about people not knowing or intentionally getting behind the wheel on medications. Some say they are not surprised. Others are shocked people are not reading their labels and putting others at risk.

Police say those taking any medication need to read the label first, because if they are driving under the influence they could wind up spending up to six month in jail and paying up to $2,000 in fines.

By Christie PostDriving Under The Influence Of Drugs A Growing Trend